Please note that given the exceptional circumstances related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, regular mail sent to the World Heritage Centre in Paris cannot be processed on a normal basis for the moment. To avoid any delays in the treatment of statutory and/or general correspondence, please send systematically to the concerned addressee within the World Heritage Centre an electronic copy of all the correspondence you may wish to transmit.
Thank you for your understanding.

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2016

On 26 January 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1167/documents/. Efforts towards achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) are presented as follows:

Analysis of satellite imagery to monitor forest cover is scheduled for a period of five years;

Population trend data are provided for tiger and elephant;

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Public Works agree to avoid any new road developments within the property;

No mining concessions or exploration permits exist within the property. All illegal traditional mining sites within Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) have been closed, and 30,370 ha of the park have been rehabilitated;

Efforts to maintain and reconstruct the borders of Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) are undertaken in cooperation with local authorities and local communities;

Efforts to improve law enforcement include joint patrols involving local communities, police and the army, elimination of illegal plantations, establishment of a communication forum for law enforcement and Protection Assistance for Wildlife Security (PAWS) training at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP). In 2015, 43 people were detained on suspicion of forest crimes committed at GLNP. A total of 105 ha of illegal agricultural activities in GLNP were eliminated. Five cases of illegal species trafficking were recorded from KSNP and BBSNP;

Various activities are undertaken to manage the wider landscape of the property, including among others the designation of buffer zones.

Information on the issues raised by the Committee at its previous sessions is also provided, as follows:

The geothermal development license adjacent to BBSNP is currently in its exploration phase, which will last until 2019. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be undertaken prior to any exploitation;

Various preliminary studies have been undertaken to support the development of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) requested by the Committee in Decision 36 COM 7A.13. The draft SEA is expected to be available for stakeholder consultation by end 2016;

The State Party confirms its commitment that the Aceh Spatial Plan will not have any negative impact on the property and key areas in the Leuser Ecosystem;

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2016

The commitment to avoid road construction within the property is welcome, as are the confirmation that no mining permits overlapping the property exist and the reported closure of all illegal traditional mining sites in KSNP. The scheduled analysis of satellite imagery to monitor forest cover should enable the State Party to provide more detail on progress towards achieving the relevant indicator of the DSOCR in the next two years, as foreseen in the Emergency Action Plan (EAP). The State Party’s intention to undertake an EIA for the geothermal development license adjacent to BBSNP is also welcome, and it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to ensure that this EIA includes a specific assessment of impacts on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in line with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and to provide a copy to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, prior to making any decision to approve the development. Progress on the development of the SEA is noted, and it is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to submit it to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017, for review by IUCN.

On 21 April 2016, a press release from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) noted that an immediate moratorium on palm oil and mining in the Leuser Ecosystem was declared by MoEF and the Aceh provincial government on 19 April 2016, and that a review of all palm oil and mining licenses in the Leuser Ecosystem will be conducted, which will consider key wildlife habitats among other aspects. A temporary suspension of all land clearing operations by palm oil and mining companies in the Leuser Ecosystem will be put into effect while the review is ongoing. This information was further confirmed by the State Party in a letter to the World Heritage Centre dated 20 May 2016. It is recommended that the Committee commend the State Party for its commitment to secure the Leuser Ecosystem, and that it encourage the State Party to seek the advice of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to identify the areas in the Leuser Ecosystem that are crucially important to ensure the integrity of the property. In that regard, the designation of buffer zones should include key areas for wildlife in the Leuser Ecosystem and ecological corridors that connect these areas with the property to ensure that these are legally protected.

The data provided on wildlife populations does not enable an evaluation of progress achieved towards the targets defined in the DSOCR. While the tiger population trends reported may seem positive, they appear to be cumulative rather than yearly trends, in which case they actually indicate a decline of 9% in 2013, and stabilization since 2014. The elephant population appears to be stable in recent years, but suffered an 8% decline in 2013. Data for rhino and orangutan are not provided, and occupancy data for all four species remains lacking. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide detailed population data for Sumatran tiger, elephant, and rhino, as well as occupancy data for all three species and Sumatran orangutan, including clarification of methodologies used for their statistical analyses, in order to enable a correct and unambiguous interpretation of the results and an assessment of progress achieved towards the targets defined in the DSOCR.

The efforts undertaken to improve law enforcement are noted. However, the reported numbers of cases of forest crimes, illegal agricultural activities, and wildlife trafficking do not enable an assessment of the severity of these issues. Considering that the 2013 reactive monitoring mission reported that all patrols in the property are managed using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) which enables data collection on illegal activities, and also considering that illegal logging, agricultural encroachment and poaching/wildlife trade could have significant impacts on the OUV of the property, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide comprehensive data about these illegal activities, including maps of where incidences were recorded, in order to enable a well-informed assessment of the significance of these threats.

Finally, it is recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2016

Adopted

Draft Decision

40 COM 7A.48

Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia) (N 1167)

Commends the State Party for its commitment to secure the Leuser Ecosystem by putting in place a moratorium on palm oil and mining, as well as a temporary suspension of all land clearing operations by palm oil and mining companies in the Leuser Ecosystem while a review of their licenses is being conducted, which will consider key wildlife habitats among other aspects;

Considers that the designation of buffer zones should include key areas for wildlife in the Leuser Ecosystem as well as ecological corridors connecting these areas with the property to ensure these are legally protected, and encourages the State Party to seek the advice of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to identify the areas in the Leuser Ecosystem that are crucially important to ensure the integrity of the property;

Welcomes the State Party’s commitment to avoid any new road developments in the property and the confirmation that no mining licenses overlap with the property, and that illegal traditional mining sites in Kerinci Seblat National Park have been closed and are in the process of being rehabilitated;

Urges the State Party to ensure that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the geothermal development license adjacent to Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park includes a specific assessment of impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in accordance with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and to submit a copy of the EIA to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, prior to making a decision to approve the development;

Requests the State Party to provide detailed population data of Sumatran tiger, elephant and rhino, as well as occupancy data for all three species and Sumatran orangutan, including clarification of methodologies used for their statistical analyses, in order to enable an assessment of progress achieved towards the targets defined in the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);

Also requests the State Party to provide details on the data collected through the application of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in order to enable an assessment of the significance of forest crimes, illegal agricultural activities, and poaching/wildlife trade, and their impacts on the OUV of the property;

Noting that the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the road network in the Bukit Barisan Mountain Range is expected to be available for public consultation by end 2016, reiterates its request to the State Party to submit the SEA, by 1 February 2017, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN;

Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017;

Decides to retain the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Draft Decision: 40 COM 7A.48

Commends the State Party for its commitment to secure the Leuser Ecosystem by putting in place a moratorium on palm oil and mining, as well as a temporary suspension of all land clearing operations by palm oil and mining companies in the Leuser Ecosystem while a review of their licenses is being conducted, which will consider key wildlife habitats among other aspects;

Considers that the designation of buffer zones should include key areas for wildlife in the Leuser Ecosystem as well as ecological corridors connecting these areas with the property to ensure these are legally protected, and encourages the State Party to seek the advice of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to identify the areas in the Leuser Ecosystem that are crucially important to ensure the integrity of the property;

Welcomes the State Party’s commitment to avoid any new road developments in the property and the confirmation that no mining licenses overlap with the property, and that illegal traditional mining sites in Kerinci Seblat National Park have been closed and are in the process of being rehabilitated;

Urges the State Party to ensure that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the geothermal development license adjacent to Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park includes a specific assessment of impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in accordance with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and to submit a copy of the EIA to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, prior to making a decision to approve the development;

Requests the State Party to provide detailed population data of Sumatran tiger, elephant and rhino, as well as occupancy data for all three species and Sumatran orangutan, including clarification of methodologies used for their statistical analyses, in order to enable an assessment of progress achieved towards the targets defined in the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);

Also requests the State Party to provide details on the data collected through the application of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in order to enable an assessment of the significance of forest crimes, illegal agricultural activities, and poaching/wildlife trade, and their impacts on the OUV of the property;

Noting that the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the road network in the Bukit Barisan Mountain Range is expected to be available for public consultation by end 2016, reiterates its request to the State Party to submit the SEA, by 1 February 2017, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN;

Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017;

Decides to retain the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).